• The AGN App is ready! Search "Airgun Nation" in your App store. To compliment this new tech we've assigned the "Threads" Feed & "Dark" Mode. To revert back click HERE.

opinion custom or off the shelf

Jump to latest Follow Reply
A

ashes5

Member
May 11, 2015
284
7
Utah, United States
I was wondering peoples opinion on custom made air rifles and off the shelf (mainly the FX).
I was thinking about the results from EBR and was wondering why people that make or have custom rifles or make custom rifles aren't further up in the results. I am not putting any of the custom makers down because they are very talented at what they do and do beautiful work.
1. What I was wondering has the technology gone so far that a custom person can't afford to put that much engineering into their gun?
2. Are the results from the competition just that their is so many good shooters out there using off the shelf guns that they just overwhelm the competition and the odds of 1 custom made gun beating 20 seasoned competitors with off the shelf equipment isn't going to happen?

My opinion is the amount of competitors using factory equipment overwhelms the custom made competitor. There is very little difference between a custom gun and a top of the line factory gun. The custom gun maker after he spends all his time and money on his gun doesn't have the time to practice that a person has that grabs a gun off the shelf and goes out and practice.
that's my 2 cents
 
I think it still goes back to the shooter. You can build all the custom guns you want with all the perfect this and that. But if you can't shoot, that gun isn't going to help you. The best shooters choose a gun they see potential in. Then they tune it and shoot it thousands of times until they get it performing its very best. That gun will always out-shoot some custom gun.
Lots of people buy a gun based on what they have seen someone online do with it. Like shoot under MOA at 50 yards. Then they get it and it won't do that so they are mad about the gun. It isn't the gun. :) Not everyone shoots like Ted :)


Crusher
 
Upvote 0
One of the biggest issues with the EBR is that it is a manufacturers showcase event and therefore that manufacturer can't be seen loosing ;) The main manufacturer being FX with AOA as the event sponsor. There have been low rumblings about the better bench assignments being given to the FX shooters over others. I could be wrong as this is only third hand knowledge but wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities. Aside from that crusher is spot on. On any, or maybe every given day the shooter is the largest and most unpredictable variable when shooting regardless of the gun.
 
Upvote 0
"crusher75060"I think it still goes back to the shooter. You can build all the custom guns you want with all the perfect this and that. But if you can't shoot, that gun isn't going to help you. The best shooters choose a gun they see potential in. Then they tune it and shoot it thousands of times until they get it performing its very best. That gun will always out-shoot some custom gun.
Lots of people buy a gun based on what they have seen someone online do with it. Like shoot under MOA at 50 yards. Then they get it and it won't do that so they are mad about the gun. It isn't the gun. :) Not everyone shoots like Ted :)


Crusher
Click to expand...
Crusher, You are hitting the nail on the head here. The gun is only a tool that assists a great shooter to accomplish great things. 
I'm not usually one to come up with good one liners like that but, ooh That sounded good! lol 
Honestly, I think you are only scratching the surface on a much bigger topic. 
Tom
 
Upvote 0
Ashes

There are so many FX guns there it would be hard for them not to place? But in the long range shooting it really depends on the shooter and the bench assignment. And guys who are familiar at shooting these distances in these types of wind conditions.

Also looking at the results in the Extreme finals 14 out of 20 guns of the pro class were FX. So looking at the magnitude of FX guns being used I would say they had a better chance of being in the top 20 in that class? Same for the Sportsman class 15 out of 20 being used were FX.

Now if you look at the 25 meter BR portion of the match FX didn't do so well. 25 Meter BR has a lot to do with the shooter, but equipment comes into play more so at this range.
Ken Hicks took 1st place with his custom RAW. A Thomas took 2nd, and RAW took 3rd through 6th in the pro division. I would be willing to bet everyone of those RAWs has some kind of custom work done to it. A RAW rifle coming from Martin is pretty much a custom rifle anyway?

Out of the top ten places in 25 meter there were 7 RAW, 2 Thomas, and 1 FX. And it was an FX Royale BR gun so I'm assuming it was custom made?


So yes to answer your question I would stick with a custom gun if you wish to compete!

Jimmy
 
Upvote 0
it's nearly impossible to buy a gun off the shelf and have it perform on its optimum. A lot of airguns are doing great right out of the box but at some point you'll start tweaking it just to get that little extra (at least most serious competition shooters do this).

In our 100 meter competition there's barely any airgun/shooter in the top 20 that hasn't done some sort of custom work to its airgun. Some worked 2 lbs of lead in the back of the stock, use assemblies to get the bipod further to the front (on the FX boss/Raw HM1000), changed internal regulators for external regulators, swapped barrels for better ones, changed the buttpad and the list goes on. It's not that the gun wasn't good, its just that little edge to make it better and more competitive.

And in the EBR, most top placed impacts were having smooth twist x barrels (at least that's what I've heard) and all top shooters had their guns tuned to their likings. Thus until what degree can you call an airgun off the shelf and when is it custom?
 
Upvote 0
"broekzwans"it's nearly impossible to buy a gun off the shelf and have it perform on its optimum.

It's not that the gun wasn't good, its just that little edge to make it better and more competitive.

Click to expand...
cus·tom·izeˈkəstəˌmīz/verbpast tense: customized; past participle: customized
  1. modify (something) to suit a particular individual or task.

    [/LIST=1]
    And I think that is what we are talking about here. If you take a gun from the shelf and tune it, you are not just making it a better gun. The gun is what it is. But you are changing the perimeters of the way the gun performs to suit what feels best in YOUR hands. 
    Let's take fishing for example. I fish a worm a lot. But on a recent fishing trip a buddy was fishing a frog and just killin it. I finally tied on a frog and did what I thought was the same thing he was doing. He out fished me 5 to 1. Why? because he felt comfortable with the presentation he was doing. Even though I thought I was doing the same thing, I wasn't.

    That same thing happens with the shooter and the gun he is using. So even if you tune it and make it "custom", if you put that same gun that you are comfortable with in MY hand, I might not be able to hit the ground with it.

    So for me, I consider a gun "custom" whenever it is changed from straight off the shelf, to fit the way I shoot and what is most comfortable to me and what gives me the most confidence that I can do my best with that gun. All my guns are custom. :)

    Crusher
 
Upvote 0
"crusher75060"And I think that is what we are talking about here. If you take a gun from the shelf and tune it, you are not just making it a better gun. The gun is what it is. But you are changing the perimeters of the way the gun performs to suit what feels best in YOUR hands. 
Click to expand...
It depends on what you categorize as tuning. With tweeking the settings of the internals (one way of tuning) the gun indeed stays sort of the same. What I meant with making it better is everything that can be tuned/customized: regulator, filling port, stock, buttplate etc

Nevertheless, I totally agree with you! Just a matter of different choice of words with the same idea behind it ;)
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu